Washington, D.C.—An Obama administration official told the Washington Post in an article written today that it will withhold climate assistance funds from countries not supporting the Copenhagen Accord, including denying $3 million to Bolivia and $2.5 million to Ecuador.

The Copenhagen Accord is the toothless agreement that emerged from the Copenhagen climate negotiations last December. It contained no binding requirements for any countries to cut their global warming pollution, and some countries have refused to associate themselves with it, arguing that a stronger and fairer agreement is needed.

Friends of the Earth Policy Analyst Kate Horner had the following statement:

“The U.S. is acting like a bully, strong-arming the most vulnerable countries to get them to sign onto an ineffective and unfair deal that will not move the world closer to a just climate agreement.

“In particular, the Obama administration is punishing Bolivia for being a true climate champion. Bolivia challenges the business-as-usual approach promoted by rich industrialized countries by demanding fair compensation for developing countries and communities that face impacts from a climate crisis that they did not cause.

“Developed countries like the U.S. should be following the example set by Bolivia and working to rebuild the trust that was shattered in Copenhagen. The Obama administration’s bullying is especially galling given how little money the U.S. has actually put on the table to help developing countries address climate change, not to mention that our country’s own greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated.”

###

Friends of the Earth and our network of grassroots groups in 77 countries fight to create a more healthy, just world. We're progressive environmental advocates who pull no punches and speak sometimes uncomfortable truths to power. Our current campaigns focus on clean energy and solutions to global warming, protecting people from toxic and new, potentially harmful technologies, and promoting smarter, low-pollution transportation alternatives.